One alter ego's way of trying to get a grip

Top 7 – Midsummer night’s magic

Midsummer (juhannus) is one of the most popular holidays in Finland and it takes place close to summer solstice. We’re celebrating this holiday, also known as the feast of fertility, today and luckily the weather is gorgeous and the day can’t get any better.

Bonfires are part of the Finnish Midsummer celebrations. (Picture from Wikipedia)

Midsummer magic is a big part of the folklore associated with the celebrations. The “magic tricks” are usually made by women and their purpose is to get a good marriage and to find the perfect husband. Today I want to share seven of these “tricks” that I find funny, interesting or basically just worth to try.

Keep in mind that Midsummer has been celebrated ever since 1316 (and even before that under a different name), so some of the folklore is very old.

#7: The common cuckoo’s call

A young maiden can listen for the common cuckoo’s call on Midsummer night. As many times she hears the call marks the amount of years until she’ll meet her future husband. If there’s no cuckoo’s call at all that night, the right guy should come along during that same year.

#6: A blooming fern

The fern never make flowers, but it is believed to bloom only on Midsummer night. If you happened to see a fern bloom you had to pick it up immediately, and it would give you magic powers.

#5: Rolling around in a meadow

You get better luck in marriage if you roll a round naked on a dewy meadow on Midsummer night.

There are different versions of this folklore, for example, if you roll around naked on the rye fields belonging to a family with boys, those boys would be willing to court you. (This could actually be very true; I can imagine any guy getting interested in naked girls rolling around their front yard)

#4: Mirror mirror on the wall

If during the Midsummer night you put two mirrors on opposite walls and look into the other, you can see your future spouse in the opposite mirror.

#3: Look down a well

If you look down a well, a pond or a lake on Midsummer night (preferably naked), you should see your future spouse on the surface.

#2: Walking around a triangle-shaped field

If you walk around a triangle-shaped field three times, on the third round your future husband will walk towards you. Oh yeah, you should be naked while doing it.

#1: Flowers under your pillow

If you gather seven different flowers or herbs and put them under your pillow, you can meet your future husband in a dream. Different folklore suggest you pick the flowers from seven different fields to make it work better.

Will you try some of these Midsummer night’s tricks to lure the perfect guy in? Maybe you’ve already tried some of them… Did they work? Do you believe in magic?